Persecution of Ahmadis

The Persecution of Ahmadis is the religious persecution of Ahmadi Muslims as a consequence of professing their faith. They have been subject to various forms of persecution and discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya stream of Islam emerged from the Sunni tradition of Islam and its adherents believe in all the five pillars and articles of faith required of Muslims. Ahmadis are considered non-Muslims by the mainstream Muslims since Ahmadis consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of Ahmadiyya, as a prophet. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed that he was the Mujaddid (divine reformer) of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah and Mahdi awaited by Muslims, these claims are rejected by mainstream Muslims.

The Ahmadis are active translators of the Qur'an and proselytizers for the faith; converts to Islam in many parts of the world first discover Islam through the Ahmadis. However, in a number of Islamic countries, especially those which are sunni dominated, the Ahmadis have been considered heretics and non-Muslim and subjected to persecution and often systematic oppression. Ahmadis are declared as Non-Muslims and further derived from religious rights in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and Ordinance XX. Hundreds of Ahmadis were killed in 1953 Lahore riots, 1974 Anti-Ahmadiyya riots and May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore. 1974 riots were the largest killings of Ahmadis.